Ive been going to H&B Karmakanix for the last 3ish years and have had a great experience. They can fit you in last minute for things and have quick turn around. I also appreciate that they will explain long term maintenance realities for my car (mini cooper 2021 country man), allowing me to plan and budget long term what potential expenses may come my way.

H & B Karmakanix has been my vehicle maintenance service provider for many years. They take very good care of my vehicles and I trust them to give me the honest truth as to what my cars need in the way of repairs and general maintenance.They have always been there for me when I call because of something that has gone wrong with my vehicle and are always ready to help me out! I find them to be very professional. I will keep them as my service providers as long as I have BMW’s.

Great service. They call when they say they’re going to and the mechanic who worked on my car followed up later via text to make sure everything was good. Seriously, who does that??!! This is why I recommend H&B Karmacanix to all my friends.

I used to take my VW to Karmacanix, traded it in and took my first Mini to H&B, now that the two BEST East Bay mechanics have joined, there’s no one better to care for my second Mini. Expert staff, pleasant, honest, helpful, dependable, prices are fair & they stand by their work. Hard to find better!

The experience was like taking a sick child to Children ‘s Hospital, checking her in an saying”make my baby healthy!”. The doctors at H&B were able to diagnose and fix ALL her problems, even the mysterious ones.Out of production parts were located, installed and tested. All this was done at a reasonable price and the checked in with us every step of the way.

I had a great experience getting my 2002 EuroVan Weekender Transmission repaired along with timing chain replacement and some other general fixes. My repairs were quite expensive, but necessary. I was able to call around to other shops and could tell right away that their pricing was fair for the work needed, if not more affordable. Mohammad and the team were very responsive and were available to keep me posted along the way. I have my van back now and it is running great. I would recommend for any EuroVan enthusiast!

What can I say? I left a message on Tuesday morning and they got me in by Thursday. Mohammed accommodated my work schedule and met me before the shop opened so I could drop off my Porsche Macan. Within a couple of hours he called me with a quote and he texted me it was ready before 3 pm. No upselling or weirdness and when I picked it up I actually owed $50 less the price that was quoted and that I agreed to. Recommend to anyone!

Mohammad is a super responsible human being. He contacted me to let me know my Audi TT needed its annual maintenance. Scheduling an appointment was easy. The work was done proficiently and on time. Ive had autos for over 50 years, and H & B Karmakanix is as good as it gets for auto repair... fair prices, excellent service representatives. and a manager with a heart.

Very professional and accommodating. Excellent service at a fair price. I like supporting independent shops rather than taking my car to the VW dealer. These guys know and love VWs and I trust them to make appropriate recommendations with respect to service options. Will be returning.

It was a pleasure working with Trevor the BMW specialist and the staff at H&B. Trevor was very professional and thorough, he explained the problem, the diagnostic test results and the next steps. Easy appointment scheduling. Car was repaired and running perfectly smooth again. Will return!!

I was referred here by Oceanworks and they charged me $175 for an oil change and new wiper fluid. I have literally never paid more than $120 for an oil change. I looked up Kelly Blue Book estimates (highest for my car was $110) and checked with Oceanworks (they said about $100 for my car). They were perfectly nice to me but like, I felt a little swindled. When I brought up the price discrepancy they shrugged it off. I wont be coming back.

Have never given a zero star review before, this will be a first. Am super-sad to note these folks failed utterly to diagnose the problems on my car. Came to them with good hopes, since they were well recommended for fixing tricky electrical problems. They even brag about it on their website. Well I suppose they are, but they didnt apply those skills in this case. Presented them with a written list of problems, including: door locks not working, radio turning off when engaging cruise control, and the car sometimes turning itself off while in use. They... changed the battery. Thats it. Never even tested the locks, and were surprised when I demonstrated for them that they still dont work. I had explained and put in writing that I was willing to pay for a detailed look at the car, because this is 18 months now since the trouble began. And yet they only spent 1 hour, then called it a day. In my whole life I have never had a mechanic turn down free money. What more can a customer do than say, literally, take all the time you need but please find the problem? I said that, and for my efforts, I got a battery. Which I must note replaces a battery that was only 7 months old. They didnt open up the steering column to test any wires, barely road tested it, heck I have to assume all they really did was sit next to the car and play poker or something. Because they surely did not try to find the electrical problem.(Edit to reply to their comments) Ok... so, once again, I listed in writing at time of drop-off, that the battery and alternator had recently been replaced. Yes, readers, I have receipts, should anyone wish to see them. The question is: what about the electrical system is wrong, that alternators, batteries, and now the basic interior controls are all getting wiped out? What problem/problems are destroying these parts? They didnt even try to find out. Yes, I made a mistake, I bought a Volkswagen. Yes, they are famous over decades for electrical problems. My bad. That does not justify such a lackluster attempt at diagnosis. The car still has the car alarm randomly triggering, and other issues. But they couldnt find anything wrong. I gave them both key fobs, one of which I had taken apart since it seemed to be part of the problem triggering the alarm system. They didnt even take it out of the ziploc bag to test it. But they couldnt find anything wrong. Shall I go on? No, I will find a more thorough mechanic instead, and suggest you do the same.(Edit to close out the story) Well yall, it turns out the mirror control switch was the cause of almost all the trouble. It didnt fail on its own, but burned out other things on that circuit, including yet another battery (this one only 3 months old). Which was found by the folks at AVS Specialists who did take the time to hunt down the fault. Kudos to them. Car is fine now.

H&B was professional and efficient with my repair!Would highly recommend H&B to anyone needing auto repairs completed professionally and efficiently!Best,-Fernando

This is the place to go if you have a VW or a mini. Steve in particular is a really rare find....hes like a two horned unicorn. He completely honest and extremely knowlageable about VWs ... and he will give you a nonsense, accurate assessment.

Was a past Karmakanix customer and started coming to H&B after they merged. great service. highly recommend.

H&B establishment is neat and clean. Was pleased to see hand wash andClorox wipes prominently displayed. Upon arrival I was promptly greetedand processed. I was contacted about my car and not rushed to make a decision. The business is run very professionally. I shall return.

Great place. Did a check on a vehicle Id just purchased used and they provided a thorough list of things that needed to be done, when. Really appreciated that they told me I had time on some things, and which ones to do now, rather than an alarmist approach to having to do everything today. Prices were appropriate and they were fast. For a convertible roof issue I had they referred me to another great shop - appreciate they didnt just try to do it themselves. Definitely recommend.

I loved working closely with Mohammad and his team. Mohammad was diligent, professional and courteous. What was important to me is to work with honest capable people and Mohammad made me feel that way the moment I walked in. I got my Audi back and drove to Tahoe no problems! Thank you so much!

I decided not to go ahead and repair my car – it’s a 15 year old Jetta.However I worked with Rusty at Karmechanics for 5 years before they merged. They have replaced brakes, done general maintenance - they are the reason I was able to keep my car for 15 years.I doubt they are the cheapest but they know Volkswagens far better than anyone else in the area. It’s true you get what you pay for!In addition, Rusty is extremely knowledgeable patient and thorough in his information!

Super knowledgeable and honest. My Audi A4 had an issue that couldn’t seem to be resolved. They ultimately stopped charging me at a point and agreed to figure it out at their own cost. They figured it out! Friendly customer service too :-)

These guys took care of my car a few years ago and now they service my wifes suv. They are good with communication in the office and the techs do a great job. German cars are rarely cheap but they find reasonably priced parts and the labor rate is fair.

I brought my car in for a check engine light and rough running. I was sure that the timing belt job I did myself was messed up and valves were bent. Phil, the lead mechanic, took the job and did the diagnostics on it. Rather than take my word on it he spent the time and found the there was just a vacuum leak from a valve cover gasket that was causing the problem and not a bent valve. Thankfully he is very smart and thinks things through before just tearing into engines. He saved me a lot of money and time. These guys are really nice and care about what they do.Thanks to Phil, Victor, Trevor, and Mohammed.

Excellent service . On time .

H&B was able to figure out what was causing the engine faults that other shops were not able to solve and got it all quickly fixed. Our X5 is running like new again.

I phoned Rusty out of frustration as I had just purchased my new BMW, Had my car towed to another shop twice each time the shop came up with absolutely no codes? However my fears were over when Rusty answered the phone. Make a long story short mechanic Philip took care of my Bimmer and my fears were over. If you have a BMW and you keep having problems this is thee place to take your BMW.Thank you H&B. You will always be my go to shop.

The ONLY place I trust for my VW TDI. The knowledge of my vehicle, thorough care and attention to detail is unprecedented in the industry.

Been a customer of Karmakanix for maybe 8 years. Theyve have worked on 2 of my Volkswagen cars. Always honest, always reliable, always more pleasant and detailed in explanations of work and choices than any VW dealer Ive used. Fairly priced and have a loyal following in their areas of expertise.

First time using this shop; great service, will be back

With an 07 Audi A6 comes headaches. Well H&B is the best medicine I can recommend. From headlights that wouldnt adjust to an oil filter housing that leaked and was unreachable and valve cover gaskets that caused the engine to smoke but hardly dripped, sort of. All fixed on time under budget, and with an explanation and smile. Thank you Trevor, Mohamed , and Phil. Your the best.

I brought my car in for an early service appointment as well as for fixing the trunk latch and handle, as I had broken it by forcing it open and closed when it was starting to fail.As usual, I was given prompt service, a loaner car after a last minute request, and was treated with a compensation for a tiny error that happened. All the staff were courteous and kind.

Steve and his crew brought my 97 Jetta TDI (diesel) back to life after it had lost power and had other issues. I doubt that there are very many other shops in the entire country with the knowledge and skill to work on these older diesel vehicles.

Awesome guys, really knew their Westys. Did a free inspection and let me know of everything that was high priority to fix and what was probably coming up and what to keep an eye on.

H&B has been taking care of my BMW 1987 325e for about 20 years. They have been invariably professional, able to explain the work they were doing, and courteous. As a female customer, I have never felt condescended to, or or treated less than respectfully. They have kept my now 32 year old car running well.

Excellent response to my urgent parts needs, Trevor was thorough and very attentive, had my special order ready for pick up in 24 hours, thanks guys, Ken in Albany

I brought my audi to the dealership for years. Only now that I bring my car to H&B is it running happily. H&B found multiple significant items which the dealership failed to fix property or completely neglected to tell me needed repair. I could not recommend H&B more highly!

H & B Auto Repair is fabulous -- great, quick service, especially during this time of Covid19. I have been taking my MiniCooper to H&B for many years and they are always friendly, reliable and do a great job.

Rusty was great. He gave me more information about my service request, gave feedback throughout the process, fixed things I didnt know were missing, and made detailed recommendations, which I intend to follow. Highly recommended.

Not happy with my first - and last - experience with this auto repair shop. Went in for a new headlamp, got stung for $250 for a diagnostic on everything wrong with my Beetle - most of which I already knew. But they didnt bother to replace the headlamp. I had to go to another shop for that. Their complimentary multi-point check revealed that Karmakanix seriously understated the condition of the brakes. Bad show.

Always happy with the service here on my VW.

Great shop, friendly staff

Excellent service even during the disruption of Covid-19

Karmakanix has kept my 1983 Vanagan purring along. I feel safe in the car as theyve kept it maintained. The staff is good at explaining the repairs and finding old parts to fix old problems that have haunted the car for many years previous to finding Karmakanix. Thank you for keeping an old jewel polished!

Ive been taking my cars to H&B since about 1990. They have always been THE state-of-the-art independent BMW service shop in the Bay Area. Highest recommendation.

The staff, especially the gentleman in the parts section, are very nice, knowledgeable, and informative. They were helpful without the intimidation or talking down Ive experienced at other service centers. I will certainly be back and recommend to others.

These folks know what theyre doing!

The best service in town, my family has been coming here for many many years, 15+, we appreciate all the good service they provide. As well as the Parts Department, Joe is a very big help, alway will find a way to get the job done. 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

My poor Audi had been sitting for at least 2 years and I finally had it towed to Karmakanix to get her road worthy again. I wasnt sure what to expect in the diagnosis but Rusty was there with me the whole time and kept me informed and calm. In one day, my little silver nugget was back in action and I am zipping all over Berkeley now!! I cant thank them enough and I will only let Karmakanix look under her hood from now on :) Thanks,Barbara~

Always a wonderful experience taking my beloved beetle to Karmakanix. They are great at explaining exactly what is going on with my car and truthfully helping me evaluate when each issue needs to be addressed.Feel comfortably asking them questions and finding out if a service can wait based on budget without feeling like Im being sold a bunch of b.s. like I used to feel at the dealership.Could not recommend them more highly!

I have been using the parts department for years. They can get you almost any part you need with very helpful advice. If they dont have the part they know where to get it. They have sent me to other supplies and helped to get me wholesale discounts. The mechanics are top notch ant the ship is spotless. These guys are great. They are like surgeons, and the shop is like an operating room. They specialize in high-end collectable BWWs. Very professional shop. A value for the service you receive.

They have given me excellent service on my Mini. Worth the price.

I was very impressed. They offered a free inspection, free bart shuttle and cliff went out of his way to recover a piece that I want to reinstall rather than pay to have replaced. I was impressed by their communication, they updated me on repairs and called me with any questions. Cliff also checked in with me about my time constraints and adjusted their scheduling to suit my needs.

Saved me $1500--Thank you Karmakanix!Your top-notch expertise and creative thinking saved me $1500 at a time when I really am feeling the financial crunch. Going that extra mile, asking that extra question made the difference between a major replacement and a much more elegant solution that can hopefully help other Audi owners too. Youre the best!

Wonderful service performed by honest mechanics, with integrity for a smooth repair process. Could you really ask for more...?I will recommend Karmakanix to anyone.

Bought a used car from a local person and had Karmakanix look it over before I paid. They did a thorough inspection and let me know what, if anything I needed to do to it. The car got a pretty good bill of health and all it needed was new tires, an alignment and an oil change. I took it back for the tires and oil change and am getting ready to have them do the alignment too. Cliff has been really nice, answering all my weird and not so weird questions. Hes really an attentive, nice guy and has put up with me for the last week! I think I will be taking my car here for a long time.

Steve and his shop are VW and van wizards, if you have a vw van camper, they are the ones to trust with high cost specialized maintanence these vans require

These guys do amazing work. They always find a way to fit me into their schedule even on short notice and are super knowledgeable. They charge a fair rate and have always given me good service. We’ve been taking multiple vehicles here for about 5 years and even now that I’ve moved away from the area I still do the 1.5 hr drive to them for my van’s maintenance work - they’re that good. The owner Steve is an incredible encyclopedia or knowledge and knows the minute details and secrets no one else seems to know. I have a 1987 VW vanagon camper and out of the 8 shops we’ve gone to over the years Steve is heads and shoulders above all of them. Cliff and Rusty run the phones and are very helpful and knowledgeable service managers. We will keep coming to these guys for years to come. Highly recommended.

George and his team know your car well! He always can give you the best solution to your problems. The working team did fantastic jobs, worth every penny.

The exceptionally knowledgeable owner here (Steve) really helped to educate my partner and I on the ins and outs of our new 90 MV Westy. Thorough, friendly, and informative.

Great car shop that really helps the customer understand what the problem is and what needs to be done to fix the car. My go to place whenever I have a problem with my vw golf.

I never give any one 5 stars but I may update this review to that as this is my first time here.I found this place by referral I needed a pre-purchase inspection done fairly quickly and the other places I called kept referring me around because of the timing. Well, so far I am happy to be here they are to the man very personable and appear to know their stuff.If it works out with this VW then I will be back.

Todd takes care of my 2001 Porsche Boxster like its his own. Nino is the man. These guys are professional, honest, and care about the work they do. I have never left the shop feeling cheated, or upset. My car and I always leave with a smile on our face.

Karmakanix is awesome. I have been using them for two cars now - both VWs. They are honest, efficient and fair. My only hesitation in recommending them is that they will be so busy that I wont be able to get in myself...but I am sure Nino and Cliff (they rock) will be able to manage it.

I have had various BMWs serviced here for more than 25 years. They really know these cars extremely well and have consistently provided outstanding service

Audis and Volkswagons arent cheap cars to maintain, so theres always a little tension between me and my mechanic. Having one that I trust completely and is obviously behaving fairly makes all the difference in the world.Not only do I go to them for repairs, they give great advice on buying particular used cars (great = honest, candid, directly telling me their perspective and what I can expect to pay in maintenance), and they keep tabs on my aging Westfalia and my projects outstanding.Thanks Karmakanix!

George and Allen are very professional and straightforward. I would recommend this business for the care and service of your Ultimate Driving Machine!!

Cant speak highly enough of this place. Ive been taking my 323i here for years

These guys definitely know what theyre doing

As a single woman who apparently bought a lemon, I have been delighted by Karmakanix. I am most familiar with Nino. Nino is attentive, clearly explains whats happening, is honest in what/when things need to be dealt with. And, he is professional, efficient and kind. Karmakanix has done well repairing my car. I am grateful to find a place I trust. Thanks, Nino!

Karmakanix is ALWAYS very professional and courteous. Their repairs to our vintage VW Vanagon Camper are done very knowledgeably and in a timely manner. We have confidence in their assessment of mechanical problems and the quality of their service. We are returning customers and would recommend them to anyone without hesitation. On one trip we were stalled in rural Nevada, and Steve the owner spent 45 minutes on the phone trying to help us through the problem. We were able to limp home with our van and leave the vehicle with Karmakanix for repairs. The vehicle is running wonderfully ever since.

George and the team at H & B are fantastic! Worth every penny and then some.

KarmaKanix was the best ..... I broke down while cruising the coast with a bad alternator and found Karmakanix on the Internet .The owner Steve was a great guy and made sure I was taken care of by his expert staff. They told me all my issues I had with my westy, and gave me an estimate for all the work in a very detailed layout. I think I found my go to Bus mechanic in the bay... These guys rock and are very knowledgable on vw buses as well as other european cars.

I received two warnings about this place, one from my landlord, another from a rival shop in town that couldnt see me on short notice. I dont think they were quite that bad, but they could do a better job on expectations management, i.e. underpromise, overdeliver. It took them about a day longer to get back to me with a diagnosis than promised.Diagnosis itself was overly thorough and rather than find the exact problem they were more interested in doing a full replacement for all possible problem areas, resulting in an estimate of over $1200. More likely a small, single component is a the root cause so Ive opted to fix it myself.UPDATE: I was able to do the repair myself using their diagnosis as a starting point and lots of Internet research. It turned out to be a single cracked PCV breather hose that is famous for going bad in these engines. Total cost of repair was about $50.

Excellent, honest VW service. Not super cheap, but worth it.

Theyre expanding

Excellent service.

Great guys know the cars very well

1%er prices in the slums of Berkeley

Great serves

Jones st. Berkeley